Australian Birds. 
401 
surface, rump, and upper tail-coverts pure white; lores and 
line over the eye greyish black, gradually passing into the deli¬ 
cate pearl-grey which extends over the face; back, wings, and 
tail greyish brown; irides dark vinous orange; bill light vinous 
grey, or bluish horn-colour, except on the culmen, where it is 
more yellow, particularly at the base; the upper mandible sur¬ 
rounded at tlie base by a narrow belt of black, which also 
extends on each side the culmen to the nostrils; base of the 
lower mandible surrounded by a belt of rich orange, which 
extends to the comers of the mouth; feet bluish white. 
Total length, 31 inches; bill, 4$; wing, 21^; tail, 9; tarsi, 3. 
llab. Bass’s Straits. 
The above are the dimensions of a female; the male is con¬ 
siderably larger. 
Nearly allied to, but larger than D . melanopkrys . 
Thalassidroma Nereis. Thai, gutture pcctoreque fuligi- 
noso-cinereis; dor so, uropygio tectricibusque caudce cine - 
reis; abdomine , lateribus et crisso alb is. 
Head, neck, and chest sooty grey; lower part of the wing- 
coverts, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts grey, each feather 
very slightly margined with white; wings greyish black; tail 
grey, broadly tipped with black; under surface pure white; 
irides, bill, and feet black. 
Total length, 6J inches; bill, wing, 5£; tail, 2^; tarsi, 1J. 
llab. Bass’s Straits, on the south coast of Australia. 
This beautiful fairy-like Storm Petrel is about the size of 
Thai. Wilsoni, and is remarkable as differing from most of the 
members of the group in having no white on the rump and in 
the pure white of the under surface. 
Menura mperba- — Mr. Gould gives the following account 
of the Menura or Lyre-bird of Australia. This bird, like the 
Brush Turkey, (Tahgalla Luthami , Gould), has been classed 
by ornithologists in various groups, but perhaps most generally 
it has been regarded as one of the Gallinaceous order. Mr. 
Gould’s observations, however, all tend to prove that it ought 
to be arranged among the Insessores, and is most nearly allied 
to certain South American genera of Ground Thrushes, such as 
Ptei'optochos, Scytalopus, &c. 
The Menura is a terrestrial bird, and but rarely takes to the 
wing. When pursued it generally escapes by running into the 
thick brushwood: it is so extremely shy, the author observes, that 
of all the birds lie ever met with the Lyre-bird is by far the 
most difficult to procure 
Whilst among the brushes he has been surrounded by these 
birds, pouring forth their loud and liquid calls, for days together 
without being able to get a sight of them ; and it was only by 
the most determined perseverance and extreme caution that he 
was enabled to effect this desirable object, which was rendered 
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